The Girl In The Story
by Adele Elisabeth
Summary: Elisabeth Black is just a regular girl at Kavanagh College, who likes to read. She daydreams of falling into the stories. One day, what should have been a fatal accident may make her dreams come true...
1. What Should Have Been An Ending

Disclaimer: All characters except for Elisabeth, Sonya, and her mother. belong to David Eddings. I'd love to be able to take credit for them, but thems the brakes.  
  
Summary: Elisabeth Black is just a regular sixteen-year-old from Dunedin. She reads constantly – especially books by one of her favorite authors, David Eddings. She daydreams of escaping into the world of the Belgariad and Mallorean.  
  
One day, what should have been a fatal accident may make her dreams come true…  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter One: What Should Have Been An Ending  
  
~*~  
  
"Ella! Ella, honey, you're going to be late!"  
  
It was Ella's mum. She stared grouchily at the mirror. Her long brown hair was tidied back in two french plaits, and she wore the little silver cross that her grandmother bought her for Christmas. Green eyes against her caramel skin let her pretend for a moment that she was an exotic princess, off to a grand ball.  
  
But no, she was just a sixth former at Kavanagh College, and she didn't think being part maori qualified as 'exotic princess'. She looked with distaste at her jersey, which she steadfastly refused to wear, and picked up her blazer. Her kilt was just knee-length, luckily she hadn't been one of those unfortunates who ended up with the longest kilts you ever saw. Knee high navy blue socks were pulled up, and she wore comfortable mary- jane-style black shoes.  
  
She applied a coat of lipgloss and gave one last exasperated sigh before hurrying out to meet Sonya at her gate.  
  
"God, Ella, you take forever in the morning, you know that?" It was Sonya, Ella's best friend.  
  
"Yeah, I know." Ella gave her friend a half-hearted smile.  
  
"What's up?" Sonya looked concerned. "Sarah steal your new skirt or something?"  
  
Sarah was Ella's little sister, and she drove Ella up the wall. "Sky's up, last I checked. Nah, Sarah's not doing anything."  
  
"What is it then?" Sonya persisted.  
  
Ella decided to go with the easiest excuse that would get Sonya off her back. "Boy troubles." She said shortly.  
  
They started to cross the road, and Sonya started to ask Ella who, but she didn't get any further.  
  
A car, from out of no where, smashed into the petite sixth former's side, sending her flying through the air.  
  
"ELISABETH!" Sonya screamed.  
  
~*~  
  
When Ella came around, she knew instantly something was wrong.  
  
This wasn't her room, these weren't her pajama's – on closer inspection, it was a nightgown actually – and she'd never seen anything like this room.  
  
Somehow, it all seemed so familiar…  
  
She heard someone walk in. "Who are you? And where the hell am I?" she demanded as they pulled open the curtains.  
  
"Why don't you tell us who you are?" the woman said. She seemed familiar too, like a dream that Ella hadn't quite forgotten…  
  
"I'm Elisabeth Black." She answered, hesitantly. Fear showed in her deep green eyes. "Polgara?" she whispered.  
  
"Yes." The woman nodded.  
  
"That's impossible! You're a character in a series of books, not a real person!" Ella cried. She saw her bag and school uniform laid neatly by her bed.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"I've been reading about you since I was eleven, you were like my idol. I wished I had an aunt like you, a family like yours." Beth burst out; unable to keep it in. "I adored reading about you, the things you did. And Belgarath, 'Old Wolf', I wished he was my grandfather. I thought Garion was so lucky, but I was so shocked when you hit him for saying 'Torak'. That was a bit much, Lady Polgara." Beth seemed to be saying things she'd been dying to say for years, and Polgara didn't interrupt her. "I cried when Brand's son died and he just walked away. And you kept throwing Garion and Ce'Nedra together on that journey – Ce'Nedra mentioned it to Garion when they went to get formally engaged or whatever it was. She said something mournfully about missed opportunities and made Garion blush." Ella giggled.  
  
Polgara decided now was time to intervene.  
  
"Elisabeth, what happened before you came here, and do you know how you came here?"  
  
"Last I remember," her brow furrowed, "I was walking to school with my friend Sonya. I was feeling a bit down, and she wanted to know why, so I told her it was boy troubles. She was about to ask me who, and a car came flying around the corner, and it hit me. Then nothing." Her eyes widened. "I got hit by a car! I should be dead!"  
  
Polgara regarded her carefully. "How much do you know about us, then?"  
  
"I've been reading about you since I was eleven, like I said. There are thirteen books, two series – the Belgariad and the Mallorean – and then there's the two prequels – Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress, written in first person – and then there's the Rivan Codex. The Belgariad is from when Garion leaves Faldor's Farm to when he kills Torak, and the Mallorean is when Geran is abducted and they – you – traipse around the world after him to the final meeting of the child of the dark and the child of the light."  
  
"What sort of books are they? Historical documents?" Polgara ventured.  
  
"No, no, of course not. Fantasy novels, written to entertain. There's no magic where I'm from, and the gods…well, there are lots of religions, and wars are fought over them, people are persecuted for their beliefs, but each and every religion insists that their god is the only god. Or their gods, as the case may be. But they don't talk to people." Ella stretched. "Can I get up now? I've got a change of clothes in my school bag."  
  
Polette and Polina (or Polly and Lina) came barging in. They were the twins, and the same age as Elisabeth. "Is she awake – oh, hello!" they said in unison. If they really wanted to annoy their grandfather, they spoke the way Beltira and Belkira did, finishing each other's sentences.  
  
"Uh, hi." Ella said, swinging her legs out from under the blankets and going to get up.  
  
Polgara pushed them out the door and then went to leave herself. She turned, and smiled. "Go ahead, I'll be out in the vegetable garden. It should be easy to find, the cottage isn't that large."  
  
"Yes, Aunt Pol. Oops, sorry, Lady Polgara." Ella blushed at her slip of the tongue.  
  
~*~  
  
Ella put on a little white tiny-teeshirt, which showed off her belly-button ring and the tattoo of a dragon in the small of her back, with a denim mini- skirt that showed off her long legs to good advantage. It was summer here, and she felt relieved that her clothes wouldn't be too hot in the warmth in the vale. She hadn't any other shoes, so she went bare foot out into the garden. Polly and Lina gaped at her.  
  
"Can you see what she's wearing, Polly?"  
  
"Can you see what she's not wearing, Lina?"  
  
Ella wished they'd shut up, and then her heart sank.  
  
She was wearing – by their standards – next to nothing, and in front of the King and Queen of Riva, and their children. Geran, who was a couple of years older than her, and Beldaran, her own age.  
  
Not to mention the Eternal Man, Belgarath the Sorcerer.  
  
"Elisabeth," Polgara beckoned, as if she hadn't noticed that what Ella was wearing was definitely not the style here. "Come over here."  
  
Reluctantly, she approached them.  
  
"Elisabeth, this is—" Polgara went to introduce them, but Ella nodded.  
  
"I know. Ce'Nedra, Garion, Geran and Beldaran."  
  
Ce'Nedra looked offended that this girl – clearly a peasant – had neglected her titles, and was so badly mannered.  
  
" Ce'Nedra, Queen of Riva and Imperial Princess of Tolnedra, and Belgarion, Overlord of the West." Ella added after a moment's thought. "I'd curtsey, but my clothes really aren't designed for it."  
  
Garion looked curiously at her. "Where are you from?"  
  
"No place you'd know of." She grinned. "Can I go climb the tree, Lady Polgara? Please?"  
  
"Of course you can, Elisabeth. Go on." Polgara smiled at her.  
  
Ella beamed happily, and dashed off to scamper up the tree. She had adapted quickly to this place, oddly enough, probably because she had imagined this so many times before.  
  
Geran watched her go, while Garion and Ce'Nedra turned to Polgara with a barrage of questions.  
  
"What did she mean 'no place you'd know of'?" Garion demanded.  
  
"Where were her manners?" was Ce'Nedra's first question.  
  
"She's not from this world. I don't know how, but she isn't." Polgara replied. "She's…there's something there. The Will and the Word, certainly, but there's something else."  
  
They watched her chase Polly and Lina up and down the tree, and swing among the branches. She seemed to be having the time of her life.  
  
~*~  
  
'Time for your lessons.'  
  
There was a voice in Ella's head. She was puzzled by it for a moment, then she realized. 'You're the voice of the Necessity, aren't you?' she asked mentally.  
  
'Very clever.'  
  
'What do you want with me?'  
  
'Promise that if I tell you, you won't say "Why me"?'  
  
'Ha. Ha. Ha.' She replied sarcastically. 'I'm not that stupid. What I do want to know is why the hell am I here?'  
  
'You are the Serpent's Daughter.' The voice said, with a hint of drama in its tone.  
  
'Gee, thanks. And of a shouldn't I be from Nyissa to be daughter serpent?' Ella didn't seem very impressed with her title.  
  
'Go ask a god. Or better still, work it out yourself.'  
  
She went to ask another question, but the presence was gone.  
  
She said then things that young ladies just should not know.  
  
And are quite probably not physically possible.  
  
~*~  
  
"It called her what?" Belgarath narrowed his eyes.  
  
"The Serpent's Daughter, she told me." Polgara replied.  
  
"It matches up, old wolf." Poledra told her husband. "The new prophecy. A few of Eriond's priests are having religious experiences; Urgit and Zakath took the liberty of having their ravings written down. Here." She handed him a parchment.  
  
"Read it out." Polgara ordered.  
  
Belgarath grumbled about women and inheritance, but did as he was bid. "And lo, the Serpent's Daughter, Child of Two Worlds, will reclaim her destiny, flung into the world of her birth. She shall be made as the gods intended once more, and she shall save us from the Unending Night."  
  
There was a long silence as they mulled that over.  
  
"Unending Night?"  
  
"Serpent's Daughter?"  
  
"Child of Two Worlds?"  
  
Polgara, Garion and Belgarath exclaimed all at once.  
  
"Does it say how she'll save us?" Polgara asked quickly. "Or give us any clue yet?"  
  
"No, but I'm guessing she's our new Child of the Light. Which means…"  
  
"There's another Child of the Dark out there somewhere." Ce'Nedra breathed. She'd been accepted into this circle of sorcery, though she was not herself a sorceress. She felt peculiarly honored.  
  
"She'll need help." Garion remarked.  
  
"Clearly. I'm sure there'll be more prophecy – telling us who will help her, I hope." Polgara regarded them carefully.  
  
~*~  
  
"Ella, would you please—"  
  
"—come down?"  
  
It was Beltira and Belkira. She couldn't disobey them…she could probably disobey Belgarath, or try and get around Polgara, but she'd never even dream of disobeying the twins. She suspected they'd be very 'disappointed', and she'd always hated that.  
  
"Yes, Uncle Tira, yes, Uncle Kira!" The pair had very quickly become Ella's uncles, and they didn't mind. Beldaran didn't seem to like it very much, though.  
  
Ella didn't care. Beldaran struck her as a miniature Ce'Nedra, and Ella was enough like Ce'Nedra to clash with anyone of a similar personality. I.e., Beldaran.  
  
Geran, on the other hand…  
  
So, she climbed down and hugged them both.  
  
"You, young lady—"  
  
"—are very astounding—"  
  
"—in that you are—"  
  
"—from somewhere else—"  
  
"—and a part of the—"  
  
"—new prophecy." They told her.  
  
The daydreams she'd had for years were coming true, and it was somewhat unnerving. Ella did something she'd never done in her entire life.  
  
She fainted.  
  
~*~  
  
Author's Note:  
  
End of chapter one! The Girl In The Story, Chapter One: What Should Have Been An Ending, how do you like it? R&R! 


	2. Eternal Salmissra's Confession

Disclaimer: Only Ella is mine. Everything else belongs to David Eddings. And Leigh Eddings.  
  
Author's Note: oh, now this is going to be fun…  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter Two: Eternal Salmissra's Confession  
  
~*~  
  
'Nyissa.' The voice that she had been slowly getting used to told her.  
  
'You want me to go to Nyissa?' she didn't know if she liked the sound of that.  
  
'Not particularly, but it isn't entirely up to me. You're going. Either Belgarath and the others take you, or you go alone. You'll be safer with them. Make sure the stubborn old fool realizes that.'  
  
Ella giggled, because young ladies do not snigger.  
  
~*~  
  
"…so, I have to go to Sthiss Tor." Ella finished.  
  
"And we have to take you." Belgarath added.  
  
" 'Our mutual friend'," Ella said, amused, "thought you might argue. Actually, he called you a stubborn old fool and told me to make sure you realized that I will go, whether you come or not, and I'll be safer if you do."  
  
"What is there in Sthiss Tor that would be…Belar!" Belgarath swore as he thought about it. "The Serpent's Daughter…is it possible,"  
  
"I think I know what you're thinking, and I'm fairly sure that's impossible." Ella interrupted him.  
  
Polgara sighed and cast her eyes heavenward. "Don't ever say that around Father."  
  
"Nothing is impossible." Belgarath said, sounding a little pompous.  
  
Ella rolled her eyes at him.  
  
~*~  
  
They were picking up the people they needed as they went.  
  
Belgarath, Poledra, Polgara, Durnik, Polly, Lina, Garion, Ce'Nedra, Geran and Beldaran all went.  
  
Ella badgered them until they let her make a side trip to Arendia, since she just __had__ to meet Mandorallen. He immediately offered his services as a protector, to his wife's dismay, and reluctantly they allowed him to come, when the Necessity said through Ella, "He comes."  
  
Silk didn't want to leave his wife and their young baby girl, but Belgarath told him bluntly that he had no choice in the matter, and that he could do it the easy way, or the hard way.  
  
Silk didn't argue further.  
  
Ella seemed delighted that she was meeting all these people, if a bit disappointed she couldn't drag Velvet along too.  
  
Relg was picked up, as the official 'Religious Something Something'. Or, that's what Ella decided to call him. She told him with enthusiasm about the religion she was technically a part of back where she was from, and he seemed interested, there were a few – very few, in Ella's opinion – similarities between his religion and hers.  
  
So, one by one, the Companions were gathered.  
  
And then, Nyissa.  
  
~*~  
  
Polgara drew herself up in front of the eunuch that bowed before her, and glanced briefly at Ella, who looked…different.  
  
"We will see Salmissra. Now." It was not a question, nor an order. It was a statement of fact.  
  
The eunuchs weighed up their chances of survival if they defied Polgara the Sorceress.  
  
She and the others were shown into the throne room.  
  
Ella looked very different now. Her hair was longer, lustrous, with a blue- black shine that had never been there before, a true brunette. Her green eyes were deeper green, and her lips fuller. She was a little taller, and slimmer, her skin paler, then more bronze than the caramel it had been.  
  
Belgarath observed the slow and almost unnoticeable – until you saw the effects – changes. Ella looked more and more like a Nyissan as she spent more time in their presence. It was…unnerving.  
  
Salmissra took one look at Ella and then hissed at Polgara, "How did you find her?"  
  
"We didn't. She found us. She appeared in my dining room and hit the wall." Polgara said steadily.  
  
"She was sent away for her own protection. Send her back." Salmissra hissed. "Elsirra is not safe here."  
  
"Elsirra?" Polgara looked startled. "Her name is Elisabeth."  
  
Salmissra coiled around the hand of a faithful eunuch, and was brought forward to examine Ella carefully.  
  
"No, Polgara." She hissed, her sibilant voice oddly soothing. "This is Elsirra of Nyissa."  
  
"Impossible." Ella stated clearly. "I am Elisabeth Adelaine Black, and I am from Dunedin, New Zealand. I know some of my family tree, and I've never been here in my life."  
  
"Yes, you have been here. When you were born, and not until now since." Salmissra looked, if you could say a serpent did, kindly. "I am sorry, Elsirra, but you were sent away for your own good."  
  
"From the beginning, Salmissra." Polgara ordered.  
  
The Companions looked shocked, and so did Elisabeth.  
  
Salmissra sighed. "I suppose I must."  
  
~*~  
  
'Sixteen years ago, I did something very foolish, Lady Polgara.' Salmissra began her story. 'I found another serpent of my species. I didn't take into account the fact that a part of me was still human. As serpents do, I laid eggs. There were four, and three of them were destroyed by cruel accident. The fourth wasn't any regular egg, and it continued to grow. The egg itself was growing, and it didn't look much like a serpent to me. For the first time in so many years, we woke Issa.' Salmissra paused. One could almost think she looked…afraid.  
  
'Issa told me that my child was not a serpent, like myself, but a human child, as I had once been. He told me that she would be part of the prophecy, and that I must bring in a human to help raise her, as in my current state, it would be difficult for me.'  
  
Salmissra stopped again. Ella was watching, silently stunned, as were the others.  
  
'When she was born, I found an old passage that allowed the High Priestess of Issa to call on his magic, once in her life, when her need was great, and since she can only call once, he must do as she requests. I knew of the danger that the prophecy held, and it was her that I cared for, not the prophecy. I demanded that she be sent away for her own safety. Occasionally, I would wonder how she fared, but I knew that Issa would find a way of watching over her.'  
  
When she stopped, they were all staring at her.  
  
'You see before you, Crown Princess Elsirra of Nyissa, heir to the Snake Queen's throne.'  
  
~*~  
  
Ella fainted.  
  
Mandorallen caught her, much to Geran's irritation.  
  
~*~  
  
The confession of the Snake Queen gave them another piece of the puzzle, but it didn't help them with much else.  
  
Beldaran was outraged – she was fairly sure that Elsirra (as we now must call her) outranked her. Beldaran was the second child; Elsirra was the heir to the throne. Salmissra admitted later that now, she hoped to be able to groom Elsirra for queenship (a/n: I made up a word! Yay me!), and then told Polgara all the awful things that would happen if Elsirra came to harm.  
  
Issa was woken long enough to see the Princess, and Beldaran felt the green- eyed monster of jealousy and envy rise once more as the god looked favorably on his Beloved Salmissra's child, and bestowed upon her his blessing. Elsirra was beautiful, youthful, a princess, and part of the New Prophecy, the New Necessity.  
  
Jealousy gnawed at her, and she glared at Elsirra, who was laughing at some witticism of Geran's.  
  
~*~  
  
Salmissra was happy. It was an odd feeling for her; she hadn't felt it often even when she was human. She had felt triumph at small victories, and she had lusted. She had never really loved, and she had never missed happiness, having felt it's gentle touch so infrequently.  
  
Now, at the sight of her daughter Elsirra, she was happy.  
  
It was a nice feeling.  
  
~*~  
  
Author's Note: Girl-gets-transported-into-another-world may not be the most original idea, and neither is making her daughter of a real character. Still, it's fun. I like Salmissra, for some weird reason, so it seemed natural that Elisabeth – well, Elsirra – be her daughter. Took me a while to work out how she could be Sally's, and longer still to work out how she got to the 'real' world, but I worked it out. I'm still a little hazy on the details of Ella's birth, but like I really care. No, Elsirra is not going to be turned into a snake by Polgara. Hey – now I've got an idea…Polgara, owl. Poledra, owl. Belgarath, wolf. Garion, wolf. Beldin, blue-banded hawk. Elsirra…serpent! 


	3. Troubled Waters

Disclaimer: All the stuff you recognize belongs to the much-loved authors, David and Leigh (sp?) Eddings. Unless some nice person has gone and bought it for me? No? Oh well.  
  
To my reviewers:  
  
That person who accused Elsirra of being a Mary-Sue, you may have a point. But I don't care. Firstly, and I wasn't actually going to mention this before I was good'n'ready, that 'budding romance' isn't going to happen. It's just there because I felt like being mean to Geran. As for the out-of- character-ness, I KNOW. And I don't care about that either. This is written solely for me, and if other people happen to like it, great, if not, they don't have to read it. I never claimed to be David Eddings, so how could I really write his characters just how they should be written, me being this amateur writer who only really writes because in her self-centered little world it's a stress-release…  
  
Okay, I'm going to stop fuming now. On to the other reviewers…  
  
Beldaran? Make trouble? Well, that would explain the chapter title….  
  
Of course Silk's coming back into this story. I wanted to steal him away from Velvet, but then I thought she'd gone to so much trouble, it just wouldn't be fair.  
  
No, sorry, no romance with Geran and Elsirra. He's just infatuated, which he realizes when he meets Princess Vialla of Cthol Murgos, Prala and Urgit's daughter. She's going to be much more interested in Prince Zakann of Mallorea, nephew of Zakath and Cyradis. Anyway, don't mind me…on with the Mary-Sue Bit of Fluff Story! (sorry, still fuming…)  
  
~*~  
  
Chapter Three: Troubled Waters  
  
~*~  
  
Elsirra stood next to Captain Greldik on the ship, bound for Cthol Murgos (apparently Urgit owed Silk a favor or three). Belgarath had worried a bit about letting the 'pretty young ladies' loose among Greldik's men, but the sailors had been given the hard word by Greldik, and they weren't stupid enough to try something with a princess.  
  
((a/n: Especially one who was apparently part snake…yech. Whoo-hoo, my stories are Mary Sue and I can't write IC, but I'm so hyper right now I've forgotten to care…))  
  
"Ella? Girl, you look awful." Greldik remarked. She glanced fondly at him. She'd always liked Greldik when she was reading the books, and Belgarath. Oooh, but especially Beldin and Silk…my, my, getting a bit off track…  
  
"I'm okay, cap'n, I'm just feeling a bit disquieted. I didn't ask to be some lost princess. I mean, this is what I've always dreamed of – but now that it's a reality, I just want to go home." She stared out over the dark waters, watching the milky white moon reflected on the ocean.  
  
"Nobody asked for this, Ella," Greldik said, in one of his brief moments of philosophy and wisdom. "But it's here, and it's who you are, and you can't run away just because you're getting the jitters. You've got all these nice big powerful lads with big swords and magick behind you, trust them."  
  
Elsirra nodded, and hugged him. "Thank you, cap'n."  
  
She vanished into her quarters, leaving only a faint rosy scent to tell she had been there at all.  
  
~*~  
  
"She outranks me!"  
  
"Oh, shut it, Beldaran." Geran flapped a hand at her irritably. "It's not like there aren't dozens of people out there who do. Belar, you are something else, Bella."  
  
"She just appears out of thin air and outranks me." Beldaran was not impressed. Elsirra was the heir to the Snake Queen's throne, and she was just…Princess Beldaran. Everyone outranked her. She was a princess of Riva, and people overlooked her constantly. Seeking out her brother, Geran, who had been on adventures before he could talk. Her mother told her to stop being foolish, but she knew that Queen Ce'Nedra of Riva had been similar, years ago. Imperial Princess of Tolnedra and Queen of Riva, co-ruler and wife of Belgarion, she had two impressive titles to her credit. Beldaran was just a second child.  
  
"She's always been a princess, it's not something you turn on and off." Geran growled. Beldaran ignored him. As per usual.  
  
~/~  
  
Geran abandoned his sister to her fuming, and he didn't think she'd even noticed he was gone.  
  
Elsirra nearly bumped into him, she went skidding along the damp and slippery deck trying to avoid him, sending herself into a sprawling heap by some barrels.  
  
"Elsirra!" he exclaimed, surprised. He quickly went over to help her up.  
  
Elsirra ignored his outstretched hand and stood up. "I'm fine, nothing hurt except my pride."  
  
Geran nodded, and then was distracted as the ship stopped in the harbor, and Murgos stopped in their daily work to wonder what an Alorn ship was doing in their harbor.  
  
Waiting on the quay was the Royal Family – Lady Tamazin, Lord Oskatat, Queen Prala, King Urgit, and their young daughter, Princess Vialla.  
  
"Urgit, stop that." Prala muttered, annoyed, as Urgit fiddled absently with his blue doublet.  
  
"Yes, dear." He replied automatically.  
  
Silk sighed dramatically as he walked down to greet his brother. "Hen- picked."  
  
Prala smiled complacently as she said sweetly, "And how is Liselle?"  
  
Urgit smirked at his brother, and Elsirra was looking around in awe.  
  
"Your Highness," Urgit greeted her. "We're a bit about you – everyone is wondering about Salmissra's daughter."  
  
Elsirra curtseyed. "Your Majesty, it is my pleasure."  
  
Vialla looked quite taken with Geran, and he with her. The handsome ((a/n: naturally. I'm sure people wouldn't approve of me making Geran deformed…though that can be arranged…)) prince stared at the Murgo (and Drasnian…Urgit is here because a Drasnian gentleman liked to pick locks, snigger, snigger) princess.  
  
Vialla had long dark hair, and her skin was lightly tanned. She was rather tall – Elsirra noted this fact with envy – and slender, with green eyes and an easy smile.  
  
She smiled at Geran, and Elsirra noted this too.  
  
She wondered if Geran was as dense as Garion had been at times, and if she was going to need to play matchmaker.  
  
She heard the telltale little bell toll, and smiled faintly. She saw Polgara looking at her curiously, and just smiled some more.  
  
Those two? she asked silently.  
  
Yes. The Necessity seemed to be one of few words lately.  
  
I can think of some Alorns who aren't going to approve of that. Your sense of humor is almost as warped as I'm told Beldin was, or is, whatever. Elsirra was amused. Clearly.  
  
The Necessity did not deign to make comment.  
  
She resisted the urge to snigger. Princesses do not snigger. Then again, princessly princesses do not tell Silk that they're part serpent just to see the expression on his face.  
  
~/~  
  
"…so you can turn into a snake?"  
  
Vialla seemed impressed by the idea.  
  
"I've never tried. I suppose." Elsirra nodded.  
  
"Can you see if you can?" Vialla asked. "You're a sorceress, after all. You can change form?"  
  
"Took a while to get it right, but yeah. I mean yes." Elsirra nods. First time she tried to change form, she created a whole new animal…  
  
…Belgarath was very impressed with the wolowpent (wolf/owl/serpent).  
  
NOT!  
  
Poledra thought it was amusing when his face turned red and he told her very, very quietly and calmly to change back, since he was sure he'd never seen one of __them__ around the place.  
  
"So try it!" Vialla cut through Elsirra's pondering.  
  
"Okay, okay." Elsirra conjured in her mind the image of a snake, a large blue snake, long and slender. Sort of, pouring herself into the completed image, Elsirra changed.  
  
"Wow. And I'm fairly sure that snakes don't come in pale blue." Vialla noted.  
  
It's my favorite color.   
  
"Oh—was that in my head?"  
  
Umm.   
  
"I'll take that as a yes. Can we go see Uncle Silk now?"  
  
Right now?   
  
"Yes."  
  
If snakes can snicker, Elsirra just did.  
  
~/~  
  
"By all that is holy, what the hell is that!"  
  
"Elsirra, I believe." Belgarath told the shaking Drasnian. Silk did __not__ like the idea that the dark haired Nyissan girl that sat next to him at breakfast was now a snake who happened to be draped loosely around Princess Vialla's arm.  
  
Geran choked a bit when he saw them.  
  
Elsirra turned back, and giggled at them. "Sorry. It was her idea."  
  
"That's right, Ella, get me in trouble with my uncle." Vialla tried to look stern. Didn't work.  
  
Beldaran was seething.  
  
With every new day, Elsirra was more and more 'one of them' and less and less 'that girl'.  
  
Something would have to be done.  
  
She looked out over the water, ignoring the boisterous-ness behind her, troubled.  
  
~/~  
  
Author's Note: Yep. My attempt at a David Eddings fic totally bites. Anyone who thinks so, don't review, because I do know how bad this fic is and I am doing my very best, I swear. It's not as good as my other fics – which really aren't so great either. So…all flames will be used in my dungeons to roast marshmallows over my prisoners, and all flamers can get a life. Or a grave, whichever. 


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